The present invention is directed to an ignition circuit for a gas discharge lamp having a first power source for generating a heating current that effects a pre-ionization but that does not cause an ignition, having a second power source that is additionally connectible to the gas discharge lamp via a switch for ignition, and having means for generating a pulse return after the ignition, whereby the first power source is connected to the gas discharge lamp at an anode side and the second power source is connected to the gas discharge lamp at a cathode side.
In an ignition circuit of this type, the pre-ionization serves the purpose of meeting the demand for a steep rise in the light pulse given a low phase jitter. Overall, a light pulse is generated having a steep rise, a flatter decay and a pulse return at its end.